Caramellunacy: A young adult historical fantasy set during the breathless build-up to the French Revolution/the Terror. A dastardly villain, a string of creepy murders & an intriguing psychic gift make this a lot of fun.

This was one of "the classics" that I chose to read in 2014. And I am glad that I did.

"The Scarlet Pimpernel" has history, action, romance, devotion, evil, and suspense all stirred together in a light-hearted romp through England and France during the time of the French Revolution.

Can the famous Pimpernel be warned in time of his betrayal by one close to him? Or will the dastardly representative of the bloodthirsty French Republican government, Chauvelin, triumph, and bring his quarry to meet Madame Guillotine? Keep reading to find out... ( )

A surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate.

Quotations

We seek him here, we seek him there, Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven? - Is he in hell? That damned, elusive Pimpernel!

Last words

It is also a fact that M. Chauvelin, the accredited agent of the French Republican Government, was not present at that or any other social function in London, after that memorable evening at Lord Grenville's ball.

Wikipedia in English

This timeless novel of intrigue and romance is the adventure of one man's defiance in the face of authority. The rulers of the French Revolution are unable to discern the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel, a man whose exploits are an embarrassment to the new regime. Is he an exiled French nobleman or an English lord? The only thing for certain is his calling card--the blood-red flower known as the Scarlet Pimpernel...

In 1792, during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, an English aristocrat known to be an ineffectual fop is actually a master of disguises who, with a small band of dedicated friends, undertakes dangerous missions to save members of the French nobility from the guillotine.… (more)